A Love Story: Tommy and Lil
by CrazyCatie
Summary: Read and experience all of the most important moments in Tommy and Lil's love story.  Rated T for suggestiveness, language, and my horrible author's notes!
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Phil, is Tommy coming tonight?" Lil Deville asked her twin brother as they were setting up the popcorn and movie for the night.

Phil gave her a skeptical look. "Yeah, why wouldn't he?" Phil looked down, shaking his head.

Lil found her brother especially annoying just then. It wasn't any big deal, her asking for Tommy. It was perfectly okay, seeing as they had been friends just as long as Phil had been friends with him. Sometimes it was really horrible having Phil as your brother. He just butted into everything.

So when Tommy, Chuckie, and Kimi got there a little bit later, Phil just _had_ to say something.

"So, Tommy, Lil was asking about you," he mentioned casually, throwing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. He chewed with a big grin, turning to look at Lil. "Isn't that right, Lillian?"

Lil shook her head tiredly. "I just wanted to know if everyone was coming."

Tommy, whose eyes were on the movie as usual, just shrugged, pulling the popcorn away from Phil and taking a handful. "Leave her alone, Phil," he mumbled, not quite knowing why Phil needed to leave her alone.

Lil sighed heavily. The truth was, she had been madly in love with Tommy since a dance that they had when they were eleven. Tommy had gone up to her, sweet as usual, and asked her to dance politely. Lil had danced with her head on his shoulder all night, and Tommy never tried to pull away. Back then, she had thought there was a chance he liked her. Now, when they were sixteen, she knew better.

The movie ended (though Lil couldn't honestly recall any of it) a little bit early, so they decided to hang out for awhile. Chuckie went upstairs with Kimi to get more snacks, and Phil was off digging around in his closet to find something that he was supposed to give Tommy.

That left Tommy and Lil alone in the basement, sitting next to each other on the couch.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Tommy beamed, swiveling in his spot to face her. Lil felt something in her stomach swoop (he was sitting awfully close) and could only nod.

"Okay, you go first," he declared, running a hand swiftly through his short, purple hair.

"All right, truth or dare?"

Tommy smiled a cute little half smile. "Dare."

Oh great, Lil thought, I'm terrible at picking dares. "Okay…um…." She tried to think of something that would make her seem cute but also cool at the same time. "I dare you to…kiss Kimi!"

Tommy winced, but tried to play it off by ducking his head and rubbing his eye. Did that mean he liked her better than Kimi!

"I…" Tommy hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I would much rather kiss you."

Lil's heart leapt into her throat, and her eyebrows must have been all the way to her hairline, her eyes were so wide.

"Oh." Was all she could manage. "Your turn."

Your turn, she silently reprimanded herself. He practically says he wants to kiss you and all you say is YOUR TURN???

Tommy full-on blushed a dark shade of pink. He cleared his throat and went on with the conversation. "Truth or dare?"

Lil blinked. If she chose truth, what was the worst it could be? He asked her who she liked and she lied, so what? But Tommy was known for some pretty bad dares.

"Okay, truth."

Tommy smiled, reaching up and tucking a piece of her hair that was falling in her face behind her ear. Lil's heart sped up so much she swore it was audible.

"All right, I want the truth. Did you really ask about me earlier? Or was Phil just trying to be irritating?"

Lil really wanted to tell him that it was just Phil, but, well, hadn't he told her that he would rather kiss her than Kimi? Didn't she have to offer something to him?

"A little of both. I wanted to make sure you were coming. Because, well, movie night is so boring without you. But it wasn't a big deal, and Phil didn't need to say anything about it."

Okay, so maybe the part about it NOT being a big deal was stretching it just a little teeny weeny bit, but everything else was the truth.

"Aw, you do care." He chuckled a little bit in his new deep voice and leaned forward. Lil thought that if he said one more cute or sweet thing her heart was going to beat out of her chest.

"Truth or dare?" she asked, just for something to do besides look into his deep brown eyes.

"Truth."

Lil sucked in a deep breath. You can do this, you can do this, she thought. "Remember at that dance in sixth grade?"

Lil waited until Tommy nodded firmly. "Do you…do you remember how we slow danced to…a few songs?" Tommy nodded again, a smiled quirking at his lips.

"Did that mean as much to you as it did to me?" There it was, she had said it. Her heart hammered away and she held her breath, waiting for the answer.

"Absolutely." Tommy inched closer to her, resting his hand on the side of her face. Lil's stomach was doing somersaults. "That brings me to my next question. Truth or dare?"

Lil couldn't contain her excitement. She leaned in towards him, twirling her hands in her lap. She watched as Tommy mouthed the word 'Dare' to her, making her choice clear.

"Dare, I guess."

With his free hand, Tommy reached down and grabbed one of Lil's spazy hands. He brought it to his own face, so that they looked identical, one hand placed palm down on each other's cheeks.

"I dare you to let me kiss you."

It took her breath away, the way he didn't even hesitate. The intense look in his eyes. The way he brought his free hand around the back of her neck and leaned in, stopping just before their lips touched.

"What?" Lil asked, impatient for her long awaited Tommy-kiss.

"I'm waiting for you to agree to the dare," he mumbled, caressing the side of her face.

Lil bit her lip happily, then released immediately, not wanting her lips to be deflated for their kiss. She nodded frantically, as though her life depended on it. And to make this more romantic, she shifted her weight, sitting on Tommy's lap straddle style. She placed her free hand on Tommy's heart, feeling it beat just as rapidly as her own.

And then he kissed her. He started slow, him automatically taking the dominant side, just like she always imagined. He released her mouth, giving her soft, rhythmic kisses around her mouth, on her eyelids, down her neck, on the tip of her nose, and then right back to her lips again, this time more urgent than before.

He prodded her mouth open with his tongue, giving her first ever French kiss. They sat like this for a long time, kissing away, until Tommy started to move his hand to the base of her shirt, slowly reaching up and stroking her back and stomach pulling her shirt up farther and farther, until a good part of her midsection was showing.

At that point, they heard three sharp, intentional coughs from behind the couch. Lil pulled away immediately, pulling down her shirt and letting her heart rate return to normal. Tommy was slower, keeping his eyes closed and smiling as though he no longer cared what anybody else thought. He kept his hands around Lil's waist, turning her around and settling her less naughtily in his lap, not wanting to ever, ever take his hands off her.

"So guys, whatcha doing?" Chuckie said, first to break the silence. Lil leaned her head back and settled it comfortably into the nook between Tommy's broad shoulder and neck, letting her wavy brown hair fan out behind her.

"Dude," Phil commented, striding around the couch to face them head on, "you know that's my sister."

"Yeah, I know. And you also know that I've liked her for a long time, so why didn't you see this coming?" Tommy waited for a response, but after a few seconds of silence he shrugged it off.

"You better treat her nice, Pickles," Phil huffed from his place on the love seat.

Kimi went and sat next to her boyfriend, taking his hand in hers. "Jeez, Phil, leave them alone. Chuckie didn't threaten you when you asked _me _out." She rolled her eyes.

Phil looked over at Chuckie who shrugged in his Chuckie way. "It wouldn't have helped much," he said simply, sitting on the floor and leaning against Tommy and Lil's couch.

Pretty soon, they were all talking again, laughing and having a good time as usual. A few times, when Phil wasn't looking, Tommy snuck Lil a few kisses, each of them better than the last.

And they were happy. Every single one of them. And that's the way it was from there on in. And Tommy and Lil couldn't be happier about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, this was my first ever fic, so originally I only intended to make it a one-shot. But I didn't know to tell anybody that, because I was a freaking newbie :^). So, to clear up any confusion, I'm going tell you what my current plan is for this story: when I feel like it, or when I am in a sappy enough mood (like today, because I went and saw Dear John finally) I will write another chapter. But other than that, don't count on me doing anything big with this. It's all just a bit of fun, to tell you the truth, and I have no idea where it's going. If anyone has any suggestions, leave me a review and let me know!**

Five Months Later:

"Please, baby, listen to me!" Tommy pleaded, clasping his hands together in prayer position.

I pushed him away, scowling at his dirty, lying face. The bastard. "No! I'm so done with you, Tommy!"

I yanked his front door open, storming out into a light drizzle of rain, but not even worrying about my hair. Yes, that was how serious this was. "Why? Because I wasn't afraid to tell you the truth? Because I couldn't keep letting you live that way? Why, Lil, just tell me why!"

I stopped halfway down his front walk, the drizzle starting to become a slightly heavier rain. A sucky day all around, I supposed. "Because…." For a moment, words failed me. I knew that he had a point, and I knew that I was over reacting slightly, but hell if I was going to admit that. I didn't need him lording that one over on me, too. "Because it's not true!"

I wanted to run away, all the way back home to my brother, demanding that he tell me what was going on. But I didn't, I couldn't, and I simply watched Tommy reproachfully as he took a measured step towards me.

"But it is though, honey. It is." Tommy uttered softly, his eyes never straying from my face. I felt tears come up and push out of my eyes, but I made no move to stop them. I doubted he could tell anyways, seeing as the rain was now splattering us both with heavy, fat drops.

"No," I moaned, letting him reach out to me and touch my arm. I almost melted at the relief that effortless gesture gave me. "Phil…Phil wouldn't do something like that."

Tommy took another step forward, more confident this time, and started rubbing my arm soothingly. "I know that it seems like that, but yes, yes he did."

Any softness that he thought he might have gained in the last five minutes had hardened right up. I whipped my hand away from his touch as though he had burned me with his fingertips. "Stop saying that!" I hissed, nearly tripping as I tried to take a hasty step backwards. But the rain was now so thick that I could barely see Tommy's face two feet in front of me, let alone where the sidewalk ended and where Tommy's yard started.

Tommy closed his eyes briefly, running his hands through his soaked hair, before springing them back open. "No!" he declared firmly, his eyes narrowing. "I won't keep trying to protect you from what you HAVE to know is the truth. I can't and I won't lie to you."

Lil couldn't believe what she was hearing. He had to be kidding. Tommy Pickles, the KING of telling the truth, just not the whole truth, was standing there telling me that he WOULDN'T lie to me?! Are you freaking kidding?

"For the last time, Tommy, I know that what you're saying is wrong." I couldn't help but raise my voice to match the level of his, but I was trying to keep the calm he had previously installed into my body.

"But you don't know that! Because he told me himself! Everybody but you and Kimi knew! Phil-"

"MY BROTHER IS NOT A CHEATER!!!"

The words resounded around the air around us, spoken so loudly and so desperately that they seemed to seep into my skin, flowing with my blood, pumping through my heart, and finally reaching my brain. And that when I realized it; my brother was, in fact, a cheater.

The signs had always been there! The way he would say he was going out and then minutes later I would get a text from Kimi asking if I had seen him. They way he blushed furiously and practically bolted whenever that show Cheaters was on while I was flipping through channels. Even how I found TWO cans of Pepsi (one regular and on diet) on Phil's floor after I came home from shopping with Kimi. Phil was cheating on Kimi, and from what Tommy had just said, everyone knew it now, except for Kimi.

I gasped aloud, covering my mouth. The tears that had been loosely flooding down my face now began to pour along with the rain, my sobs like the thunder that was starting to boom in the distance. "Phil…he...he…." I couldn't seem to be able to get the words out. It had been far easier to deny it than to admit it was true.

Tommy nodded sullenly. He hadn't been lying after all. "I'm so sorry, Lil. But honestly, this doesn't affect us."

I slowly and deliberately lowered my hands from my face, sure that it was red and blotchy but not caring whatsoever. Excuse me? Doesn't affect us? Um, his best friend, aka my BROTHER, had just cheated on my best friend...and he knew about it the ENTIRE TIME!!! Somehow, that just wasn't settling well in my stomach.

"Oh, wow, Tommy. You would say that, too." For some reason, probably because I was a moody bitch today, I was suddenly ticked off at anybody who had anything to do with this entire thing. That included Kimi, who was such an idiot for not seeing it, Tommy, who never even said anything to me, and especially Phil, who is as big of an asshole as they get. At least, he was being one right now.

Tommy flinched at the intended sharpness of my words. I knew that he understood completely, but he still made the feeble attempt to be indignant. "What was that supposed to mean?" he asked half-heartedly.

"That means that it takes a cheater to know a cheater, and isn't that right, Tommy?" His features instantly flitted with pain, and I felt my stomach sink. What the hell was the matter with me? How was I being such a bitch to Tommy, the boy I loved?

Tommy sighed, leaning his head backwards. "I'm never going to be able to live that one down, am I?" I felt so immeasurably bad it wasn't even funny. I mean, Tommy had never done it to me, but there was one time, after a huge fight with his ex-girlfriend Nicole, that he had gone to some party that he wasn't even supposed to be at, and one thing led to another and BAM! Good ole Tommy Pickles had cheated on his girlfriend. Not that she ever found out. They officially broke up the next day, and Tommy never had the chance (or felt the need) to tell her about the bar-slut.

"No," I answered, figuring I might as well be honest with him. As angry as I was, I had begun to cool down a bit. I guess it was Tommy's presence; he just had a certain effect on me. "But it's all right." I smiled up at him shyly, afraid that he might still be mad at me.

"No, it's actually not." He looked down, and when I reached out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, he shrugged it away.

"Hey." I said firmly, placing both hands more solidly on his forearms, holding him in place so that he couldn't turn away. "It doesn't matter to me. I know that you're not that person, and everybody has their mess-up moments."

Tommy bit his lip. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." I reached my hands up from his arms, instead placing them on either side of his face. "And you know what?"

He released his lip from between his teeth, looking down at me with a mischievous smile. "No, I don't know what."

I returned his grin, and continued, "I forgive you for being the one who had to tell me this."

"Hmmm," he hummed in mock thoughtfulness, "I don't remember exactly apologizing for that."

I shrugged. "You must have a selective memory."

He snorted. "You must have selective hearing. As in, you hear whatever you want to hear."

"Oh, you know you're jealous," I teased, glad that all the previous tension had seemingly evaporated.

He nodded, but more of a 'is that right?' nod than a 'sure, okay' nod. So it was alright. "You wanna know something?" He snaked his hands down around my waist, pulling up slightly so that he made me stand on my tippy toes, so that our lips were closer together than before.

"Always." I whispered, because the moment seemed right for whispering.

That was when he said It. For the first time ever, too. "I love you, Lillian Deville." It gave me the chills, and it just felt so right!

It took all of my strength to keep my grin from over-stretching my entire face. "I love you too, Thomas Pickles." And then he kissed me.

His lips lightly pecked mine, as he did to start off every kiss, and then I wrapped my arms around his neck and he enfolded his around my waist tightly, embracing me so hard that I could hardly breathe. Not that I wanted to, anyways. Breathing would make this kiss end all too soon.

In one swift movement, he picked me up off the ground, our lips still locked together, and I bound my legs around his hips. And we stayed there for quite some time, me, floating in the air, him, holding us both up. Just kissing, kissing in the rain. And I remember thinking, if not for the first time, that even though things were pretty bad in the real world, right now, they weren't. Right now, I was here with Tommy. And right now, I was happy.

**Okay, that's probably going to be it for a little while, unless I suddenly decide to call in sick for a week and read the entire works of Nicholas Sparks, which, let me just say, is NOT probable. Thanks so much for reading, and remember to REVIEW!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've decided something concrete on this story: I'm going to make it an official account of Tommy and Lil's love through the years. At first, it was only going to be them getting together in the first place, but I think that is should cover all their major moments. I think that'll be really cute, don't you? I'm going to warn you, there's some major fluff in this chapter, and some suggestive content. Anyways, here's chapter three!**

Lil lead Tommy into the familiar room, with the blue bedspread, and the shelf filled with various films. The window shades were closed, and he reached over and turned the floor lamp on, suddenly filling the room with artificial light.

He watched her for a second, her breathing deep and calm, her hands steady at her sides. She was beautiful, Lil was. Her shoulder length, chestnut hair waved down thickly, framing her slightly square face perfectly. She had emerald eyes, eyes so green that it would take a million years to count all the shades they portrayed. She smiled.

He was so incredibly handsome. Lil marveled in the fact that yes, he was hers. She watched him, still in his rented tux, as he blinked serenely, reaching up to brush a pieced of jet black hair out of his cerulean eyes. She took a reluctant step forward (she could be content to watch him all day) and swung her arm forward to grab his hand. Together they sunk onto his bed.

Lil made sure not to wrinkle her pretty pink prom dress, letting go of Tommy's hand and smoothing out the wrinkles. He kept his gaze trained on her, determined not to take it off of her the entire night. He didn't want to miss a single part of this, a night he would remember for the rest of his life.

Tommy spoke first. "Hi," he whispered, because the atmosphere seemed right for whispering.

Lil grinned again, biting her lip and looking down. When she met his steady gaze again, she murmured, "Hi."

They sat like that for a moment, both of them just staring at each other, not a care for anything else in the world. This was how Lil knew Tommy was the one. There were few people in the world that didn't need words to communicate how they felt to another person. It was the happiest coincidence that two of them had ended up together.

Everything about tonight had been a disaster. It was the night of her senior prom, and Lil had been waiting for it forever. She and Kimi had gotten dressed up together at Kimi's house, but Chuckie had stolen all of Kimi's make-up in a last effort attempt to get her not to go with Phil. After that whole mess, Tommy and Phil had arranged for a limo to pick them all up. Of course, they had invited Chuckie and Suzie to go along with them, but Chuckie had refused. His hatred of Phil was insurmountable, and he hadn't said three words to either Kimi or Phil after she had taken him back.

Once they got there, they found out that the D.J. they had booked had the stomach flu, and couldn't make it. The head of the planning committee had booked this last minute band, who was quite horrible, and no one had danced at all. That is, no one besides Tommy and Lil had danced, and that was only during the slow songs. EVERY slow song, to be exact.

Then, afterwards, they were all supposed to go out to eat at a local restaurant, but the limo driver didn't show up to pick them up. And once they and finally gotten a ride, the restaurant and cancelled their reservation and given their seats to another party.

The night ended on a particularly bad note, with Chuckie finding them hanging around outside the restaurant waiting for another ride, and he saw Phil holding Kimi's hand. Chuckie promptly punched Phil in the nose, smattering Kimi's powder blue dress in blood, and they had to take Phil to the E.R. His nose was, in fact, broken. Kimi was still crying when she and Tommy left.

So now, here they were, on what was supposed to be the best night of their lives. And it was ruined. But somehow, that was okay, it didn't matter. Because right now, she was with Tommy, and she knew that he would make things better for her.

"Some night." He smiled at her, somehow summing up the whole disastrous thing in two small words. A feat only Tommy could accomplish.

"Ugh," Lil muttered, running a hand over her face. Tommy frowned, reaching forward and moving her away, laying it gently in her lap.

"That's better," he mumbled, smiling lightly. Suddenly, the air in his bedroom seemed alive, electric, and she knew exactly what she wanted.

Lil bit her lip, staring directly into his icy eyes, fighting to find the right words. She didn't have to though. "So…" he began, taking a deep breath.

She rolled over, planting myself on his lap. "Yeah…" she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck. Lil loved how he didn't want to be the one who pushed it. He was just the sweetest boy ever.

He smiled, pulling her impossibly closer, and ran a hand down her back, starting at the nape of her neck, and going down, down until he reached the zipper that held her dress in place. Her heart skipped a beat, and the usual butterflies she had in my stomach from just being around him and turned into birds.

He pecked her on the lips first, then placed his mouth back onto hers. He kissed her passionately, flicking his tongue in and out. Slowly, he began to lean back so that he was laying on the bed on his back, and Lil was resting on top of him.

He looked up at her, his stare intense, and whispered, "You're sure?"

But for Lil, it wasn't a question. He shouldn't have asked it, that was how sure she was. She wouldn't answer him; she couldn't. Instead of talking, she pressed her mouth back to his, suddenly aware of his fingers still locked on her dress's zipper.

She reached behind her, keeping her other hand behind his neck, and placed her fingers over his. Lightly, she guided his hand down. And he knew, without her telling him, that she was ready. And him, hell, he'd been ready since the first time she'd kissed him.

They pulled the dress off together, and in that moment, the only thing in the world that mattered was each other.

**Ooookay, that's it! I'm sorry, I totally know that I pushed the whole rated T thing, but I really don't want to move this story to M, especially when I didn't describe that they were DOING anything! Oh, and I've decided that I'm not going to name the chapters, because I think this might give too much away. That's it, so REVIEW!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I told you it would be that way from the beginning…I think. Usually I just babble endlessly in A/Ns, so just because I usually do I won't. Ha! I'm proving **_**myself**_** wrong! Mmm, okay, we're going to pretend that didn't happen. Onward with chapter four!**

College was tough. Way tougher than Tommy had ever imagined. And no, he was not talking academically; that he could take care of. No, the hard part was the social aspects. Sure, he was just as popular as the next guy, but he found that every party he went to, some girl was throwing herself at him. And in NYC, there were a LOT of girls.

Over the past couple weeks, Tommy had been talking to Lil less and less. Actually, the last decent conversation he had with her was a fight. And THAT was happening more often, too. In the early stages of their relationship, Tommy and Lil had always been that perfect, love-struck couple that makes their friends want to throw up. But now that they were off and on different sides of the country (Tommy in New York and Lil in California) things were getting a bit…edgy. And the addition of easy, pretty girls was not helping a thing.

Tommy was not a cheater. He had done it once on a previous girlfriend that he had when he was younger, but that was in the past. Back then, he was young and foolish, and he did not know what it meant to be in love. Now it was different. Still, he knew how easy it would be to just throw away everything he had gained with Lil.

A sudden idea occurred to him. Hurriedly picking up his cell, Tommy punched in speed dial number 5. Chuckie answered on the first ring.

"Tommy? What's going on?" Tommy could hear nothing but silence in the background, and he figured that Chuckie was spending his Friday night studying instead of partying. When Tommy was looking for schools, he made sure that Chuckie was close by him, no matter what. It would have sucked having Chuckie so far away, and after all they had been through, no way was Tommy going to allow his best friend to leave him. No way.

"You wanna do me a favor, Chuck?" Tommy listened closely as Chuckie sighed, obviously deliberating. Chuckie knew that once he agreed, he would never hear the end of it if he backed out. Then again, though, Tommy had forced him into SO many things, and didn't Chuckie have the right to stand up for himself? Tommy crossed his fingers at Chuck's intake of breath.

"Yeah, I guess. What is it?"

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and Lil was lying on her bed, belly down, putting the finishing touches on a HUGE paper that was due the next day. Her most recent fight with Tommy was ringing in her head, and she was sick and tired of all the crap that had been going on lately. She stared at her laptop screen, admiring her creation, and decided that she had earned a walk on the beach. Snapping the cover down, she rolled off her bed, forgetting about shoes.

California was beautiful, and the beaches were equally as astounding. Her school was located wonderfully close to one of said beaches, and it was one of the main reasons she chose it. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky, and the sand was almost at that perfect temperature where it wasn't that hot, but it was still pretty warm. She wiggled her toes, the sand feeling like heaven.

She wandered down towards the water, letting it lap around her feet. Lil closed her eyes, picturing Tommy's face. She imagined the last words he said to her coming out his mouth. "I'm sorry, Lil. But this is obviously not working."

"No," she had protested, "this IS working. It's just the distance."

He had sighed. "I have to go; there's this party tonight and-you know, you don't wanna hear about that. I'll, uh, talk to you when I can." And then before she could say anything, he hung up.

But that had been a week and a half ago, and they hadn't talked at all since. The most she got was a daily 'hey, wats up?' text that she always returned too late, him getting it when he was in class and not being able to respond, then promptly forgetting about it. She ran her hands through her soft, wavy hair, letting it glide back down over her shoulders.

"You know, I always thought it was incredibly sexy when you did that." Lil spun around, the voice coming from behind her. And there he was, looking similar as he had in her mind, though her brain clearly couldn't do him justice. Her heart swelled with passion just from his sight.

"Don't mess with me," she replied weakly, her voice coming out soft and slightly hoarse from lack of use.

He took two baby steps forward. "I'm not. I would never."

God, why did he have to look do damned cute? Was he TRYING to torture her? She sighed heavily. "What are you doing here, Tommy?"

Tommy bit his lip, and she could tell that he was going to do all he could to avoid the question. "Well, Chuckie was coming out here anyway…and you know that Spring Break just started. Well, I couldn't see any better way to spend it then coming here to see you." He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. Still, it felt just as good as the sand had between her toes to see him smile at all.

Lil closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not!"

Lil's eyes snapped open. "No?" She gave him her best glare, and his faltered.

"I-I don't want you to think of me as a cheater. I wanted to see you…I thought that maybe we could work some things out…."

Lil took a step towards him, away from the gentle strokes of water. Behind her the sun was meeting the horizon. In its dying light, Lil looked Tommy up and down, taking in his disheveled appearance for the first time. "But you didn't cheat on me, did you?"

Tommy looked down at his feet. "No. But I'm afraid that I will."

At least it was honest. That was the only positive thing that Lil could draw from his answer. "But if you really loved me, you wouldn't."

His eyes darted up to hers, and she could see the misery in them. "Don't you ever doubt how much I love you."

Now Lil was starting to get angry. "Then why are you afraid that you'll cheat? That is your choice to make, and yours alone!"

Tommy's eyes fell to the sand again. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but his mouth was sealed tightly. Finally, he murmured, "Is it?"

And, she thought, that was the last straw. For it was right then that she knew that he had only come here as a last resort, that no matter what they did, this was over. All of it.

"I can't do this anymore," Lil told him. She kept her eyes fixed on his face, though he seemed determined not to return the favor. "You're always speaking so cryptically, you never wanna talk to me, and you come all the way out here and can barely say anything substantial!"

Tommy slowly roved those warm eyes-which were suddenly so cold-up to meet hers. "That's what you want then?" His voice caught at the end of the sentence, striking something painful in Lil's stomach.

"No." She looked away from him briefly, out to where the ocean met the very last of the departing sun. Then she looked back. "But this is what I need."

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then slowly began to nod. "Okay…" He looked incapable of saying anything else, and with that he turned and began to walk away.

For some reason, she couldn't let things go like this. "Tommy!" she called, racing over to where he was stopped. Without thinking, she stood up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Keep in touch, okay?" she whispered into his ear.

He didn't say anything, but ever so slowly he snaked his arms around her waist. They must have stood there for entire minutes, because eventually her toes began to ache. She lowered herself down, taking a step back. She looked up into his face, and what she saw there gave off a pang in her heart. His facial features were completely dead, lifeless. The only emotion she could see there was in his eyes. Those warm, brown eyes, which were currently twisted with pain.

She knew that she cared for him still-God, she would ALWAYS care for him-but right now she didn't need to carry around all that weight. And she knew that in the end, when they were friends again, that he would thank her for it. But right now…right now it was supposed to hurt.

He began to walk away again, and just when he was about to reach the edge of the beach, he turned around. "I love you, Lil. Just know that." His voice was inflicted with the same pain she saw in his eyes. She began to feel that familiar pinch behind her eyes, that lump in her throat.

"Yeah, I love you, too." But by the time she croaked this out, he was already on his way again. His long, lean form disappearing into the new night. Lil kept watching him, one lone, fat tear slipping down her cheek. And that would be the last she saw of Tommy Pickles for three years.

**Okay, there it is! I know that this was not the happiest chapter in the world, but you know if they were all so happy and carefree than it could never be a true love story. Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait. I've just been busy with other stories…among other things, and I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say here. But REVIEW and maybe I'll be able to get my muses into better shape. Thanks, guys!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm bored. It's sad that that's the reason why I'm updating, but it's true. I am currently on a long (also boring) road trip, and I honestly have nothing better to do than to make up silly love stories. Haha, yeah, that's pathetic isn't it? Well, when we last left off, Tommy and Lil broke up. Yeah, that was sad. Not because Tommy actually did anything, but because he THOUGHT he was gonna do something. Now, guys, I'm going to take you back into their world, and I am going to see if I can cheer the situation up a little bit. Alright? Okay then, here's chapter five!**

"Tommy! C'mon! We're gonna be late!"

I didn't answer her. I just stared at myself in the mirror, completely at a loss for what I knew was going to go down tonight. I blindly fumbled with my tie, my eyes glazed over and all other thoughts besides 'Yes, this is really happening' were frozen out. I could practically see my heart breaking in the reflective glass.

Just then the door opened, and in walked Tierney. Of course, she looked like a vision. And that only served to make things worse. Her dirty blonde hair was twisted neatly into a bun beneath her left ear, and a few wisps of curls fell into her eyes. Her dress was red, deep, dark red, and it complemented her pale skin wonderfully. Her big, warm brown eyes glistened with excitement, and she reached out and took my hand immediately. I should have been happy. I should have been SO God damned happy that I had been able to land an amazing girl like Tierney, and then hold onto to her for two years. But there was just something nagging at me.

"I think it's against the rules to look more beautiful than the bride," I told her, squeezing her hand and pulling her toward me. She giggled, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her face on my chest.

"Stop it," she sighed. But her tone made it obvious that she did NOT want me to stop.

"You know, you don't have to come tonight." I looked down at her seriously. This was going to be hard on me, and I didn't want her to see that. I was afraid she would leave me.

"What? Why wouldn't I come? I'm so excited to see all your friends! If they're all like Chuckie, I bet they're amazing!" She beamed up at me, all perky and peppy again. Sometimes I wished she would just be a little more mellow. Sometimes I liked mellow.

"Yeah, they're great." His one attempt at protecting her was shot down, and now he had no idea what to do. Of course she would go. There was nothing that could make her stay. This was gonna be one shitty night.

"That's what I thought! Now let's go." She pushed away from me, then dragged me away. Away to my doom.

There was a sharp knock at the door. I smoothed my dress anxiously, hoping with no ends that it was one of my friends. I honestly didn't know if I could take any more people cooing at me and telling me how gorgeous I looked. There was only a certain amount of that that a person could take.

I slowly got up, careful not to wrinkle my white dress, and pattered to the door. Taking a deep breath, I pulled it open, only to find two people that were certainly welcome. "Tommy!" I squealed, whipping the door wide open and leaping into his arms.

"Whoa, Kimi, relax. You act as though you haven't seen me in years!" He smiled smoothly. God, he had gotten tall! I was so happy to see him I could hardly contain myself.

"Oh, my God! Look at you! You look fantastic! And this must be Tierney." I looked over at the pretty girl that was standing next to him, looking as though she was about to burst.

She nodded frantically, then, without hesitation, threw herself into my arm, bobbing up and down excitedly. Damn. "Congratulations! I've heard SO much about you, and Phil, and I just-" She stopped suddenly, gulping down a breath. "Sorry! I'm just so happy to be here."

I laughed. She was certainly something, though I don't quite know what that something was. Glancing up at Tommy, I saw that he was probably sharing my thoughts. Funny, I expected him to be happier, more talkative. Then again, he was probably dreading other things tonight, so I could hardly blame him.

"Well, Tommy, you ought to go find Phil before he decides to leave me. I'll see you guys later?"

Tommy simply nodded, but Tierney's eyes widened and she squealed, "Good luck!"

"Thanks…" I mumbled, shooting Tommy a questioning look that wasn't returned before I stepped back into my room.

The music started playing, and beside me Tierney was literally shaking with anticipation. I guess she liked weddings. My mind was wandering, off in far away places where I wouldn't have to see people that I honestly didn't care to see.

And then the maid of honor and the best man processed out. I shifted in my seat to get a good look at Chuckie. He was smiling proudly, and every so often he would glance at the girl hooked on his arm and chuckle softly. I strained my neck, trying to see who it was.

And then I saw her. Fuck.

I should have known that Kimi would choose Lil as her maid of honor. I mean, it made sense; they were best friends. But still! Was Kimi TRYING to kill him? As Chuckie and Lil passed my row, Lil muttered something under her breath. Chuckie snickered. What she saying? I wanted to know SO badly. Chuckie glanced over at me and grinned widely, but Lil didn't even spare me a glance. Did she see me? Did she know I was there? And then they were past, and the only trace that was left behind was the faint smell of Lil's perfume. It was soft and sweet, with a spicy kick at the end. I knew that smell well, and I missed it more than words. Even as Kimi marched past, the only thing I could think of was that glorious smell. The scent that drove me crazy.

As everybody's attention was called to the bride and groom, I kept finding my eyes venturing over to her. She was stunning. Her light brown waves were hanging loosely around her slightly square face, and her green eyes sparkled mischievously. The dress she wore fell to her knees, hugging her hips perfectly. And the way it made her boobs look. God, that was a nice dress….

"Tommy!" Tierney hissed, not for the first time probably. I snapped my eyes away from Lil's perfect figure, trying to focus on my girlfriend.

"What?" I asked softly, thinking maybe I missed something.

"What are you looking at?" she wanted to know, craning her neck and trying to follow my gaze.

"Uh, Kimi…"

"Oh."

I looked away from her, setting my eyes purposefully on Kimi and Phil. But I could still feel her looking at me.

And then they said their 'I do's, and they kissed, making Kiera and Betty dab at their eyes. I smiled, imaging how bad Lil would be making fun of her mom right now if she were sitting next to me. Then my grin faded as I remembered that there was no chance she would want sit next to me anymore. No matter what she said on that beach three years ago, things would never be the same. I think we both knew that.

Before I knew it, a giggly Tierney was dragging me out of the church and to the car, ready to go to the party that was a few blocks away. In a regretful daze, I walked through the doors of the recreational room at the town center. Dinner was pushed past us, and then we were dancing.

Everybody awwww-ed at Kimi and Phil's first lovestruck dance as a married couple, but through the entire thing I just kept thinking about what a mistake I made. How I should have fought for Lil rather than let her slip through my fingers. Glancing over at Tierney, I saw that she too had her head in the clouds. That was rare. I wondered what she was thinking…

Lil rushed past, wanting a dance with her brother, and I caught a whiff of that addicting smell again. And she didn't even look at me. I followed her with my eyes. I groaned inwardly, my want for her rising. I knew I should NOT be feeling this way with my new girlfriends sitting next to me, but I couldn't help it.

"Let's dance," Tierney finally said. I clung to this simple idea, trying to clear my head and refill it with thoughts of my girl. But even looking at her now, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that.

"So," she began once we were on the dance floor, her arms bound around my neck and mine snaked around her waist.

I nodded slowly, my eyes drifting automatically to Lil. She had her head thrown back, laughing wildly, and her brother was chuckling, too. More than anything, I wanted to be over there with them. But there was some invisible barrier, and I just couldn't seem to be able to break it.

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

I looked at Tierney in surprise. "Huh?"

"Lil," she clarified, nodding her head in Lil's direction. "You're still in love with her." It was no longer a question. I expected Tierney to be mad at me after such an accusation. But she was still smiling…it was just a sadder smile. God, when wasn't she smiling? In the beginning it had been good, seeing as I was too heartbroken to be happy most of the time. But now it was almost too much.

"Tier-you're my girlfriend, and I-"

"And you've barely spared me five seconds since Lil walked in the room." I must have looked pretty damn pathetic, because she just laughed and shook her head, still swaying with the pulse of the song. "It's okay, Tommy."

I frowned. This HAD to be hurting her…didn't I? It was a bad thing to realize that your boyfriend was still in love with his ex…wasn't it? Well, there was no point in denying it now. "I'm so, so sorry. I really tried not to be. I…I don't WANT to be. She's just…it's…I'm…I'm sorry."

She bit her lip and shrugged. "True love always finds its way in the end."

I wasn't sure if she was trying to say that we'd find each other again, or if me and Lil were. Either way, I couldn't believe I had just killed ANOTHER relationship. I was seriously losing it. Charming Tommy be damned.

"But I…I don't want…" I was stuttering like a lost little kid, and she knew it. Releasing my grip from her waist, she took a gentle step back, a soft smile still flitting on her pretty features.

"Yes, you do." She grinned kindly.

This was just too much for me. I took a step forward. "But I love you, Tier!"

She blinked just a moment longer than was necessary, and I realized she really was trying not to cry. "Yes. But you've LEARNED to love me. It's different. I see the way you look at her…I can only wish that somebody will look at me like that someday."

"They will," I answered automatically. "I promise." She was an amazing person, and I hated to see her walking away like that. Not another girl.

"You're sweet, Tommy. I only wish I'd gotten to you first." Her smile then faded, her act gone, and tears started seeping down her face. Seeing her hurt face was making my heart pang. But it was nowhere near the pain I had felt at seeing Lil like that.

I couldn't say anything, so I just nodded. She put up another smile, this one genuine. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go get her, tiger." And then before I could even thank her for being so understanding, she slipped into the crowd of other dancers. And then she was gone.

I was dancing with some redheaded Finster cousin when I saw him. Alright, so I saw him earlier, too. But that was beyond the point! I was seriously in no mood to talk to Tommy Pickles when my only brother and best friend were getting married. It was kinda exciting, and the moment didn't need to be ruined by HIM.

But he looked sad. Not happy sad, like most of the people looked here. He was practically miserable. That was weird. I was kinda having fun until I saw him.

He took a deep breath, then tapped the redheaded cousin on the shoulder. "Excuse me? Yeah, can I cut in?" He was polite, as always. I sized him up quickly. I had to say, besides the misery in his eyes, he looked fantastic. He was tall and lean, with those deep brown eyes and his soft looking, almost black hair. It took me a second to realize I was holding my breath. I exhaled quickly.

The cousin nodded, then stepped aside, sending me a quick smile. I didn't even look at him; I had eyes only for Tommy. At first we stood there awkwardly, just staring at each other. Then, "Do you want to dance?"

I cocked my head. "Duh." He chuckled lightly, the sadness that was in his eyes forgotten. I moved hesitantly toward him, putting my hands lightly on his shoulders. Like we were in 8th grade again.

"Is this weird?" he asked. Way to just come right out and say it.

"Yeah. But not bad." That was true. He slowly reached out and put his hands at my waist, as though not daring to touch me too much.

He laughed again. "So how've you been?"

I considered telling him the truth: I had been completely lost for about a year or so, but I was now seeing people. But nobody wants to hear the truth. "Good. You?"

He seemed to find something in that funny. "I was good until today." That was an invitation for me to ask, but I wasn't going to bite. Instead I just nodded.

"So. You seeing anybody?"

I wanted to look away from him, but something wasn't letting me. I think I was drowning in those eyes. Those eyes that seemed to go on forever. I was only semi-conscious of the world around us. The song changed to a more upbeat number, but we still kept on swaying. My hands inched further along his neck, and his continued along my waist.

"Not officially. How're things with Tierney?"

I watched as his face fell. That was probably not a good thing to say. "She left."

Again, I could tell he wanted me to ask him what happened. But I didn't. I wouldn't give in to what he wanted. "People do that."

He nodded. What was he looking at? Ever since he had asked me to dance, he hadn't looked away. And it was slightly scaring me. Then again, I was not looking at him intensely, too.

"Do you want to know why?" he asked. My breath caught, and I made a strangled gasp-grunt thing, which made me blush furiously. I had a bad feeling about this…

"She thinks I'm still in love with you." My heart sped up to impossible speeds. I thought I was going to keel over and die right there. But I didn't. And my face only got redder.

"Oh. And are you?" I couldn't believe these words had come out of my mouth. I was thinking them, oh, God was I thinking them, but I didn't think I could articulate what I was thinking. And I hoped the answer was yes, even if I didn't know what I would say if he asked me the same. I just didn't know anymore.

"I…I think I am."

And then I knew for sure that I died. No, really. I must have. Because the boy that I've been missing for three entire years suddenly is thrust into my life, and he loves me just like he used to. So I MUST have died, and right now I must be in heaven.

"That's…wow." Well, what the hell was I supposed to say?

"And you don't love me back, right? That would just make my day _perfect_." He smiled bitterly, and I knew that he wasn't kidding. So I had to say something.

"I didn't say that." But I didn't know! Maybe I DID know, maybe I was just blocking it out right now.

"Well?"

Quick thinking time. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Isn't that what I said?"

"Yeah…"

"Then yeah."

Tommy sighed, and for the first time I realized that we had absentmindedly fell into the regular, less grade school dancing position. I flushed again. "Well, when WILL you know?" He was smiling lightly, and I knew that he didn't intend that to rush me.

"Later."

He laughed uncertainly. "And why will you know later?"

"Because later I'll be drunk, and drunk people always tell the truth."

And that, my friends, was when he kissed me. It turned out that he wouldn't have to wait til later for the answer to his question, because I knew right then. I was, and forever will be, in love with Tommy Pickles.

**Alright guys! That's it. So leave a comment, because you guys are wonderful. And that's it. So REVIEW!**


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